


Good Ole' Dad

by LivyWrites



Series: Linked Universe Oneshots [2]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Creepy, Gen, Heavy Angst, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I guess????, Nightmares, Poes and stuff, Possession, The usual angst and all that, Time angst, you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23933839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LivyWrites/pseuds/LivyWrites
Summary: After a long day of traversing in Time's Hyrule, the band of heroes make camp in a thick, dark forest. As night falls and everyone settles down for a nice long rest, they're unaware of the danger that lurks in the shadows, giggling giddily as it readies to strike.
Relationships: Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Time & Twilight (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe Oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723864
Comments: 12
Kudos: 92





	Good Ole' Dad

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY HEAR ME OUT- I thought up this oneshot from when some peeps were talking about ghosts and possession and such in the LU discord. And I wanted to write about that. It’s got some of that tasty Time angst because his love for all of the boyos makes me feel things. Enjoy :D

Night had come. All of the boys had set up camp and were just beginning to settle, each of them claiming a time to take watch and such. There was some arguing, which was the usual, but they finally decided on having Twilight take first watch, Warriors the second, and Time the last. He had volunteered himself, actually, but of course, all of them had volunteered anyway. Guess that’s what happens when a group of heroes travel together. 

“Alright then. We’ll continue in the morning. Everyone, get some rest.” Time ordered, scanning the area they were in and the boys as they mumbled their goodnights and such, each falling asleep one by one. For a while now they had been traversing through Time’s Hyrule, having left Lon Lon Ranch earlier that week. They were now in a thick forest, staying far away from the Lost Woods since Time knew they were nearby. 

Pretty soon everyone was asleep except for Four and Time. Glancing over, Time nodded to the young man, even giving him a small smile before lying down himself. He heard some movement from where Four was before sleep slowly overtook him, and he allowed himself to succumb to it. 

_“TIME!”_

Time immediately bolted upright, leaping to his feet with his Biggoron sword out and ready. His head whirled around, his single eye adjusting to the dark rather quickly. He had heard Twilight, he was sure of it, but there was nothing but silence now. He relaxed a bit, only to gasp and tense up again once he got a good look around. 

They were gone. Everyone. All of the boys just… gone. Looking around wildly with his heart thumping painfully in his chest, Time searched the area, trying not to panic. _Where are they? Where could they have gone? What happened to them?_

Just then a single, soft little giggle sounded in the night, bouncing around the trees and Time’s ears. He froze. He knew that sound. “A Poe…” He muttered darkly to himself, now more on guard than ever. If all of the boys were gone, then there must be more than one. There was no way a single Poe could take them all. 

The giggle sounded again, this time right behind him. He spun around, brandishing his sword in the dark. “Where are you, fiend? Show yourself!” He called out, his eye shifting about, waiting for any sign of movement. 

“Hello there, pa’.” A figure appeared from the shadows, its eyes glowing bright red as it steadily approached. 

“Who are you? Where are they? Answer me!” Time demanded just as the figure entered into the clearing, making Time’s knees go weak.

It was Twilight. “Aaaw pa’ you’re really gonna point your sword at me? That’s scary!” He whined, holding up his arms in surrender. Both his voice and posture showed fear, but his smile betrayed that. It was a wide, toothy grin that didn’t belong on Twilight’s face. 

“Pup… what’s going on?” 

The young man reached behind him and pulled out his own sword. “I was hoping you’d teach me how to swing my swordy. Won’t you, daddy?” He cooed, swinging his sword around without control, hacking and slashing at the air. He then giggled, and Time’s blood ran cold. 

“Get out of him!” He shouted, pointing his sword directly at Twilight, but it wasn’t his pup he was talking to. It was a Poe. “Get out of him you monster!” 

Twilight, or… the Poe, giggled again, still swinging his sword like a child and slowly advancing, forcing Time to step back. “Teach me, daddy! Teach me how to swing my swordy, daddy!” He came closer, their blades meeting with a harsh _clang._ Time continued to back up, almost stepping on the burnt-out fire in the middle of the camp. 

“Pup, listen to me, this isn’t you. It’s-”

 _TWANG!_

Time spun around, his ears twitching at the harsh sound. It almost sounded like a harp- 

_TWANG!_

It was closer that time, and soon another figure stepped into the clearing, clutching a golden harp in its hands with its eyes glowing the same, sinister red. Its hand drifted back down to the strings of the harp, pulling back on the string with a single finger and letting it go harshly, the same note ringing sharply. 

“Sky…” Time breathed, seeing Twilight’s sword swinging towards him out of the corner of his eye. He turned and jumped back, now able to see both of the boys right in front of him. “Both of you, stop! Snap out of it!” 

_TWANG!_

Gritting his teeth, Time deflected another swing from Twilight, who was still shouting and giggling hysterically, repeating over and over, “Teach me, daddy! Teach me!” That combined with Sky’s plucking of a single note was starting to get on Time’s nerves. He was still trying to figure out how this all had happened in the first place. How could he have allowed it? Where did the poes come from? And since when were they strong enough to possess someone, especially someone as strong and courageous as Twilight or Sky? 

Just then a leaf crunched behind Time, and he looked over his shoulder to see Wind standing directly behind him, his face pale and soulless except for the stark contrast of red burning in his eyes. Time gasped and stumbled away, Wind staying still except for a slow turn of his head, his red gaze following him without fail. _No… not you too._

_TWANG!_

“Daddy, come on! Teach me, daddy!” 

_TWANG!_

“Time is ticking down.” A new voice sounded to the side of Time, making his head snap towards it. Legend’s head slowly rose to meet Time’s gaze, and his voice fell to a whisper as a single tear tipped down his cheek. “And soon it’ll be gone.” 

“Legend!” Time gasped, staring at the young hero who was sitting on a log, his head slumping back down so that he was staring into the dead fire, his eyes the same blood-red, tears spilling out uncontrollably. 

“HAHA!” A harsh laugh sounded from up above Time, and when he looked up, he saw Hyrule perched on one of the branches in a tall tree, bouncing and dancing around, his movements immature and childish. It almost reminded Time of the Skull Kid from so long ago. “HA! Time’s an oldy, Time’s an oldy!” He jeered in a singsong voice, laughing hysterically. 

Time winced as he deflected yet another swing from Twilight, struggling to concentrate with that horrible plucking from Sky’s harp, now the shrieking laughter from Hyrule, the dead stare from Wind, the quiet sniffling and sobs from Legend, and the shock from when three more figures appeared behind him. 

“Time is ticking down.” They all said in unison, stepping into the clearing and shoving Time into the middle of the camp. He stumbled and stepped into the remains of the fire, the embers glowing and flaring dangerously from the flames that had been there previously. Time quickly straightened, however, his eye-widening once he got a good look at the three figures.

It was the rest of the boys: Warriors, Wild, and Four. All eight of them then circled around Time, Sky still plucking that single note, Twilight whining and balancing his sword precariously on a single finger, Wind staring, Hyrule dropping down from his perch to join the circle and laughing hysterically, Legend watching Time with cold, dead eyes while tears continuously streamed down his face, Warriors glaring and jeering, Four jumping up and down while screeching and screaming, Wild sobbing and gasping, accusing and blaming Time that this was all his fault. He could’ve protected them, he should’ve protected them, that this was the reason why he was forgotten, why his land didn’t care for anyone named the Hero of Time. 

_TWANG!_

“Daddy, please!” 

“HAHA!”

“Time is ticking down…”

“Old man, old man!” 

_TWANG!_

“It’s your fault! All your fault! I hate you!” 

“...and soon it’ll be gone.”

 _TWANG!_

“You deserve this! Failure! Disgrace!” 

“STOP!” Time screamed, stabbing his Biggoron sword into the dirt, leaning on it heavily. Hot tears brimmed in the corner of his eye, threatening to fall as he squeezed it shut. His shoulders shook as he fell to his knees, everything completely and entirely dead silent.

Hesitantly, Time opened his eyes again, looking up. The boys were all frozen, staring down at Time with their wide, red eyes. None of them were moving. None of them were smiling. Breathing hard, Time looked over them all, freezing when his single eye caught onto a single weapon lying on the ground. 

The Master Sword.

Time gasped. If he could just get to the Master Sword, if he could just grab it, then maybe he could use it to get rid of the poes. He could get his boys back. Without wasting another second, Time jumped to his feet and barreled into Four, knocking him down as he sprinted towards the sword that seals the darkness. 

He was there in seconds, glancing over his shoulder to see all of the boys staring right at him and slowly moving forward. They were coming. Adrenaline coursing through his body, Time bent down to pick up the sword, his fingers inches from the hilt when a thought sprung into his mind. 

_Think about what happened the last time you took hold of that sword. You wouldn’t want that to happen again… would you?_

“No…” Time breathed, taking a step away from the weapon. Suddenly two pairs of hands grabbed at each of his arms, pulling him away from the sword. “NO!” Time screamed, wrestling against their hold. 

“Time is ticking down,” Legend muttered directly into his ear, his fingers tightening painfully on his arm. 

“Time is ticking down,” Hyrule repeated into Time’s other ear, mimicking Legend’s still tone. The others joined in the chant, pulling Time further and further away from the Master Sword.

“Time is ticking down.”

“Time is ticking down.”

More hands grabbed onto his arms and body, making it almost impossible to move at all.

“Stop! Let me go! PLEASE!” Time shouted and screamed, desperately trying to escape. He needed to get to that sword. He needed to grab it. He needed to free them- he needed to save them, even if it killed him. He would do anything to save his boys if only he could get away!

“Time is ticking _down.”_

“STOP!” He was powerless. 

“Time is _ticking down.”_

“NO!” He couldn’t get away.

“Time _is ticking down.”_

“LET ME GO!” It was hopeless. 

_“Time is ticking down.”_

“PLEASE!”

 _“AND SOON YOU’LL BE GONE!!”_

“Time! Time, wake up!” Someone was shaking him. The chant was gone. It was quiet. 

Time gasped and sat up, feeling tears streaming down his face. He looked around wildly, panting. He only came to his senses when someone gently but firmly grabbed his shoulders.

It was Twilight. He was kneeling right by him, worry etched into his kind face. All of the other boys were behind him, all looking at Time with the same worry and concern. “Time, are you okay? You started thrashing and shouting in your sleep.” 

“I… What? Pup…?” Time muttered, inhaling shakily. Everyone was here and safe. No signs of any poes anywhere. No red eyes. 

“It’s me, pa’. What happened? Are you okay?” Twilight asked again.

“I…” Everything then dawned on him, and a wave of relief washed over Time. His next words got caught in his throat so all he could do was choke out a sob and lunge at Twilight, hugging him tightly. 

“Woah their, pa’.” Twilight chuckled a bit nervously, hugging Time back. He guessed what had happened was all due to just a nightmare; he had experienced plenty of those himself and comforted others from them as well, but to do the same to Time was different and… strange. 

Finally after what seemed an eternity, Time backed off and sucked in a deep breath. He slowly released it, chuckling a bit to himself and wiping the tears from his cheeks. “Sorry pup. I’m just… glad to see you’re okay. All of you.” He said softly, turning his attention to the rest of the boys too. 

“Time… what happened? We all thought you were dying or something.” Legend said with a frown, folding his arms over his chest.

“Yeah! You woke us all up too.” Wind mimicked Legend’s posture, folding his arms and frowning disapprovingly, although it was a bit more exaggerated. 

“Glad to see you’re alright, but… what happened? Seriously. Are you alright?” Warriors asked, the rest of them nodding along with what he said. 

Time smiled and took another deep breath, regaining his posture. “Don’t worry about me, everyone. It was only a nightmare. Now everyone get back to sleep. I’ll take the watch from here.” 

All of the boys behind Twilight exchanged glances while he frowned. “But my time isn’t over yet.” 

Slowly getting to his feet and picking up his Biggoron sword as he did so, Time regarded all of the boys before giving them all a soft smile to let them know that he really was alright. It was only a nightmare, after all. It wasn’t real. “I’ll stay awake. Don’t think I could fall asleep again anyway. And really… I’m okay.” 

After another moment and a few more exchanged glances, all of the boys obeyed, some grudgingly, slowly getting back to their mats and such. They all understood what had happened. They all had had nightmares before. It was just a bit unsettling to witness Time experiencing one of them. Especially Time. 

A few minutes later everyone was sleeping once more, Wind snoring loudly while the rest of them slept somewhat quietly. Twilight however was still awake, sitting up on his own mat. “Do you… want to talk about your dream?” He asked quietly as to not wake the others. 

Time kneeled down next to him. “No. Thank you though, pup. Sorry for giving ya’ a scare. You probably didn’t expect that on your watch.” He said with a soft chuckle, keeping his voice lowered as well. 

Twilight chuckled as well and scratched the back of his head. “Yeah… Are you sure you’re alright, though?”

Time smiled and ruffled Twilight’s hair, standing back up. “I’m sure. Now get some rest.” 

Sighing, Twilight nodded and laid down. “Goodnight, pa’.” 

“Goodnight, pup.” Time replied, making sure Twilight really was asleep before sighing. 

He walked to the edge of the camp and sat down on the stump Twilight was using before for his watch, facing the camp and watching over the boys as they slept peacefully. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to erase the images of the boys with blood-red eyes out of his head. It was only a nightmare. _Only a nightmare._ He thought to himself. _But it seemed so real…_ He quickly shook his head. “Get a hold of yourself.” He hissed under his breath, straightening and turning so that his back was to the camp, his Biggoron sword resting on his lap while he stared into the thick, black shadows. _Only a nightmare._

It was then when a single, soft little giggle sounded in the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Tadaaa! How’d y’all like it? :P I know I know, it’s dramatic and very unlikely that any of that could happen at all. Please don’t judge me too harshly eheh.


End file.
